Double Bay

Lifestyle & dining

Double Bay's village centre is built around a cluster of cafes, restaurants and fashion boutiques that have made it a magnet for people-watching and long lunches. The harbour frontage, with its marina and grassy foreshore reserves, gives the suburb a relaxed, holiday-like feel despite its proximity to the city, and the walk around to Rushcutters Bay Park extends the outdoor options considerably.

It's a suburb where mornings often start with a coffee on New South Head Road and weekends are spent on the water or wandering between designer stores. The dining scene skews upscale, but there's enough variety to suit a quick bite as well as a special occasion.

Shopping

The Double Bay shopping strip, centred on Bay Street and Knox Street, is known for high-end fashion, homewares and independent boutiques rather than big chain stores. For a broader retail fix, Westfield Bondi Junction is only a few minutes away and covers everything from major department stores to a full cinema and dining precinct.

Getting around

Double Bay is well served by bus routes running along New South Head Road into the city and out towards Bondi Junction, which is the nearest train station and a hub for both the Eastern Suburbs rail line and regional bus connections. The Double Bay wharf also offers ferry services across the harbour to the CBD, a genuinely pleasant alternative commute that few other suburbs can offer.

For drivers, the suburb's proximity to New South Head Road and the broader Eastern Suburbs road network makes the city, the airport and neighbouring suburbs like Paddington and Edgecliff all readily accessible, though parking around the village centre can be tight on busy weekends.

Schools & families

Double Bay Public School serves local families within the suburb itself, and the broader Eastern Suburbs area offers a strong selection of respected independent schools within a short drive. While the suburb's population and dwelling stock lean towards couples and professionals rather than large families, its combination of harbour parks, a safe village atmosphere and nearby schooling options still makes it workable for those raising children in a more urban setting.

The property market

Double Bay's property market is firmly at the premium end of Sydney real estate. The median house price sits at $8.13 million, having climbed 27.0% recently, while units and apartments — which make up the bulk of the market — carry a median of $1.79 million. Current listings reflect that split clearly, with 78% apartments or units, 20% houses and just 2% land, underlining how much of the suburb's stock is medium and high-density.

Renters face similarly steep figures, with median weekly rent at $4,000, reflecting both the scarcity of housing stock and the strong demand for a harbourside address this close to the CBD. Buyers and tenants alike are typically paying for lifestyle and location as much as for square metreage, and the suburb's tight geographic footprint means new supply is limited, keeping upward pressure on prices.